Top Tips for Promoting your Business


Walking billboards still top the charts. Wearables, including T-shirts, jackets, baseball caps, headbands, shorts, etc., are still most popular category of promotional products. Often called walking billboards, sales of wearables account for 29.5 percent of the $14.94 billion promotional products industry.

Promotional products, used as dimensionals in direct mail solicitations, can boost response rates by as much at 75 percent, according to a Baylor University study.

Have you ever tried to buy a gift for someone you don't know? If so, you know it's quite difficult. Knowing your target audience is a crucial key to a successful promotion. Companies should clearly communicate their intended use of promotional products to a professional distributor.

Promotional products should relate to the advertiser's message. However, prior to choosing the products, we will spend important time discussing the best way to achieve your goals. Consider these six elements when planning a successful promotion: 1.Define Promotion Objectives 2.Identify Target Audience 3.Plan Product Distribution 4.Determine Central Theme 5.Develop Message for Imprint 6.Select Products Promotional products improve the recipient's impressions of an advertiser.

A survey revealed that 56 percent of respondents had a favorable impression of the advertiser before receiving a promotional product. That number increased to 71 percent after receiving a promotional item. Using a professional promotional products distributor can offer you many special services just like a full service agency like artwork, computer graphics, layout/paste-up, warehousing, fulfillment, packaging, gift wrapping, copywriting, imprinting and engraving.

Promotional product's creative impact: because of promotional products utility value, they naturally create involvement. This involvement combined with factors such as effective targeting, appropriate timing, marketing campaign objectives, creative copy and/or creative imprint design, only multiplies creative impact. Other factors affecting impact include the promotional item's size, value, shape, practicality, appropriateness, humor, personalization and artistic flair.

Promotional product mailings can dramatically improve response rates for campaigns involving other media, such as print advertising. In a study by Dallas Marketing Group, a national tile distributor wanted to integrate the use of direct mail and promotional products into an existing print advertising campaign. Response rates were tracked for a known group of subscribers. Some subscribers received only the trade ad, while others also received a sales letter, a promotional product, or a promotional product incentive. From those respondents exposed to both the trade ad and some form of direct mail, two-thirds identified the direct mail piece as the catalyst that prompted their response.

A new twist in gift giving: give gifts to someone else on behalf of your customers. California court reporter firm Tierney & Tierney, seeking to stretch a limited budget to say thanks to all its attorney clients, bought plush dinosaur toys, told clients they were being given in their names to underprivileged children. Attached to the toys were stamped postcards which the children could use to send thank-you's to the "givers."

Promotional products work best as part of an integrated marketing plan. Although advertising is usually what we think of first, promotional products are also ideal for sales promotions, public relations, branding and internal communications.

Promotional products used in conjunction with a sales letter or as an incentive to respond, make a notable difference in direct mail response rates. They also improve a business' likelihood of converting leads into sales appointments. Silver Marketing Group conducted a study where a promotional product was added to a direct mail promotion, and response rates went up 50 percent! Promotional products used as response incentives generated as much as four times as many responses as a sales letter alone.

Awards and incentive programs improve employee performance and morale. In addition to higher productivity, happy employees have fewer accidents and give customers better service. Baylor University discovered in a random survey, employees are indeed motivated to participate in award and incentive programs. However, employees cited they are most excited about these contests when their input is part of the initial planning and they receive timely feedback throughout the contest.

Promotional Products and Information provided by
| Promotional Products
| Personalized Gifts
| Awards and Trophies
| Custom Floor Mats
| Website Design
| Imprinted Advertising Specialties


About www.GallantGifts.com

We are a full service promotional agency specializing in building
long-lasting business relationships with our clients.
We do this by providing:
Quality Promotional Products that represent our clients well.
Deliver Unsurpassed Value.
Dependable service with on-time delivery guaranteed.
and knowledgeable assistance regarding a number of branding,
marketing and promotional solutions.

Gallant, Inc. was founded in 1992 and works with many large corporate clients,
professional sports teams and most major theme parks regarding their branded merchandise
client and employee incentives and promotional, email marketing and website promotions
through our websites:
www.GallantGifts.com
www.Custom-Mats.com
www.Em-Printers.com
www.AwardsbyGallant.com
www.WebsitesbyGallant.com